
This ramen store is wowing customers with a broth so thick you can stand a spoon in it.
We’ve seen some unusual ramen noodle dishes in Japan, with unique broths featuring the flavours of berries, chocolate, and even Captain America. Now it’s time for a dish with a mind-blowing texture that’s so unusual customers are travelling from across Japan to a little eatery in Aichi Prefecture to get it.
▼ With its hand-written signage, Ooiwatei doesn’t attract much attention from passers-by, yet business remains solid thanks to a star dish that’s so unusual it’s even made news on television.
東刈谷にあるラーメン屋「大岩亭」初訪
— 砂鯨 (@snkj6) May 8, 2016
超濃厚な豚骨ラーメンと超気合が入った店主で有名な店
外で待ってる間にも店内から「おおおおおおぉぉぉぉぉぅいっっっっ!!!」「ああああああああああああぉぉぉぉぉぅいっっっっ!!!」と気合が聞こえる pic.twitter.com/DO7cMBNVAc
All the dishes at Ooiwatei are made using a tonkotsu pork broth. Only here, the soup is so dark and thick it adds a whole other dimension to the meal, earning it the nickname, “mud-based ramen”.
Twitter user @yukki_yp visited the restaurant recently, and, since posting photos of the unusual order online, the tweet has received more than ten thousand likes and retweets.
https://twitter.com/yukki_yp/status/738212136837513216It turns out that hundreds of other Twitter users have fallen in love with the dish over the years, all sharing photos and declaring this to be ramen on a whole other level.
会社の人と昼飯で「大岩亭」
— かのか (@kanokamaru) May 17, 2016
いわゆる「ドロ系ラーメン」を初めて食べた、いやなんかもうこれはラーメンなのか?って感じから始まって、食べ進めるにつれて今まで自分が食べてきたのはラーメンだったのか???って疑問まで沸いてくるレベルだった。 pic.twitter.com/0CuI9TWwdL
Customers have been standing their spoons in their bowls to prove just how thick the soup base really is, with many ramen aficionados claiming it to be the thickest broth in the country.
https://twitter.com/_Rurien/status/738277320658550784前にTLで見た東刈谷の大岩亭に来たぞい。
— 天音 衣月 (@ikyex) May 27, 2016
大岩ラーメン特鳥や!
スープの粘度はレンゲが立つレベル。
あと、ご飯セルフでお代わり自由やで。 pic.twitter.com/6qyTtC2TWp
While there are a variety of ramen dishes on the menu, distinguished by different toppings like spring onion, seaweed, and chashu braised pork, all of them contain the distinctive thick tonkotsu soup base.
愛知県が誇る
— 呑龍 (@donryuu00) May 4, 2016
頭の悪いラーメン屋!
スープは食べるもの!
大岩亭だ! pic.twitter.com/4vSBHmlvQG
Said to have a deliciously dense, rich taste of pork soup, customers are so pleased with the flavours they happily slurp up every last drop of the delicious broth.
大岩亭。チャーシューメン特鳥。完飲。 pic.twitter.com/rcFBo26nuK
— おうすい🚑 (@aquaregia_SW_WW) May 12, 2016
This is definitely one of the most unique, must-try ramen dishes in the country. To see how it’s made, check out the short clip below from Ooiwatei’s television appearance.
Information
Ooiwatei/大岩亭
Address: Aichi-ken, Anjo-shi, Midori-cho, 1-16-9
愛知県 安城市 緑町 1-16-9
Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (Closed Mondays and during the year-end and Obon holidays)
Source: Byoukan Sunday
Top Image: Twitter/@yukki_yp

Time to drink Ippudo tonkotsu ramen broth from a can, only at Japanese vending machines
What’s it like to eat Japan’s crazy “mud ramen?” We find out!【Taste test】
Tokyo restaurant serves up unusual ramen with blue chicken broth
Ippudo serves up plant-based tonkotsu ramen in Japan for a limited time
Japanese ramen cocktail uses tonkotsu pork broth for alcoholic noodle flavour
Shinto shrine gate parfaits that tell your fortune now being served in Tokyo
New Transforming Business Card case brings anime mecha to Japanese work meetings
Studio Ghibli adds new finger puppets to its anime merchandise collection in Japan
Go to hell! …at a limited time historical art exhibit coming to Osaka
Lego PlayStation recreates Sony’s original console, makes unusual choice for games to salute
Kyoto temple bans visitors from wearing kimono
New Japanese ice cream is Ballin, in more ways than one
New Pokémon anniversary song is 22 minutes long, features all 1,025 Pokémon species [Video]
Starbucks Japan releases new coffee table book featuring 18 of the most unique stores around the country
Kobe middle schools begin abolishing extracurricular activities, shift to community programs
Solo travel in Japan: Hidden beer garden in Tokyo is a haven for single visitors
A real-world Pokémon Poké Ball hotel is opening in Japan at a still-secret location [Video]
Japan’s first fall color forecast for 2026 is here!
Studio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
One Piece Day 2026 brings new art, music, and new cast announcements
Tamagotchi evolves into a ring for its 30th anniversary, preorders now open
Starbucks Japan reveals new Tsukimi Moon-Viewing drinkware and gifts for autumn 2026
Family Mart releases Famima convenience store products nationwide, but which ones are worth buying?
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon
Japan tripled its departure tax to fund tourism but is using the money on cherry blossoms and bears
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Tokyo ramen restaurant’s brilliant idea: takeout cups of just ramen broth!【Photos】
Can you make a good chicken ramen broth with KFC fried chicken?
Clear tonkotsu ramen becomes a cult hit at “Ramen Runway” in Japan
Ramen broth, but without ramen noodles? Japan’s Nadai Fujisoba takes soba to a bold new place
Mr. Sato investigates just how rich the new Kotteri Max ramen at Tenkaippin really is
Ippudo tonkotsu ramen broth in a can: the hottest drink of the season?
Yakuzen ramen restaurant in Tokyo is very different to a yakuza ramen restaurant
Ichiran Ramen opens new premium branch in Ginza with high-class boxed noodles
Does Ippudo’s new plant-based tonkotsu ramen really taste like pork?
Ramen-based fuel now powers one of Japan’s most beautiful sightseeing railways
Does Japan’s “Stinky but Tasty” tonkotsu ramen live up to its name?
Japanese noodle lovers go crazy for tank-shaped pork ramen served up at … a convenience store!
Taste-testing Japan’s murky, mysterious “bathroom ramen”
Does Harajuku’s ramen restaurant with a constant line live up to the hype? Let’s find out!
Second ramen restaurant in Tokyo receives Michelin star for 2017
Combining all of Nissin’s new Cup Noodle series into one powerful bowl of ramen